STATEMENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT ON
ADOPTED VILNIUS STATEMENT
I welcome the statement adopted in Vilnius today by the governments

of Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania,
Slovakia, and Slovenia and the reaffirmation of their commitment to a
Europe whole and free. This gathering of nations, held under the
sponsorship of Lithuania and Slovenia, represents another important
milestone in these countries' reintegration into the Euro-Atlantic
community.

Along with European leaders, I have been impressed by the scope of
domestic political and economic reforms in these countries and by their
bilateral and regional efforts to enhance European stability. Together,
these nations have resolved border disputes, begun new regional trading
relationships, encouraged cross-border contacts between ethnic groups,
provided humanitarian assistance to each other when necessary, and
adopted programs to ensure the rights of national minorities. These
achievements have been possible because of the common vision held by
Vilnius Statement signatories of a Europe in which democracy, free
markets, and peace stand as guiding principles.

I also take special note of the aspirations articulated by these
nations to join NATO and the European Union and encourage them to stay
the course. Having strongly endorsed the enlargement of NATO as the
three new members formally acceded last year, I want to underscore my
support for the Alliance's Open Door policy. I believe that the matter
of new memberships should be kept at the forefront of the business of
NATO, and look forward to further opportunities to consult closely with
the Vilnius Statement signatories in the next months.